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-   -   Why is my B string not as loud as other? (http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f16/why-my-b-string-not-loud-other-965025/)

KCooganbass 03-08-2013 05:06 AM

Why is my B string not as loud as other?
 
So, I play in a metal band, and I needed the five string for the deeper sound, but my B string is practically inaudibale compared to the other, I've looked through some threads on this, checked a few things, tested the magnetism on the pickups, higher in the B string side, tried raising and lowering the string, truss rod, but nothing seems to be working, my bass is a Stellah Ripwood, and my amp is a Fender Rumble 15, any suggestions are appreciated, and I'm new to bass (sorta) so I apologise if I don't understand something

RadioRob 03-08-2013 05:13 AM

Could be the amp. Try it on a different amp. To test pickup remove B string and place old E string or just move E string to the B slot and listen to volume comparison.

inmate13 03-08-2013 05:23 AM

You play Rumble 15 or 150? If it's 15 you should look for a new amp. B string requiers some additional power to reproduce that freq.

KCooganbass 03-08-2013 05:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by inmate13 (Post 13996600)
You play Rumble 15 or 150? If it's 15 you should look for a new amp. B string requiers some additional power to reproduce that freq.

Do you think a rumble 75 would do?

bassyogi 03-08-2013 05:31 AM

You could possibly have a bad B string or it could just be twisted. Try taking the B off, if you haven't already, and reinstall it. If it still sounds bad then a new pack of strings might be in order as well.

KCooganbass 03-08-2013 05:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bassyogi (Post 13996613)
You could possibly have a bad B string or it could just be twisted. Try taking the B off, if you haven't already, and reinstall it. If it still sounds bad then a new pack of strings might be in order as well.

I'll give it a go :)

punkjazzben 03-08-2013 05:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KCooganbass (Post 13996612)
Do you think a rumble 75 would do?

It might only just do, but if you can move up a bit more you'll have an amp that you can keep using as you progress.

If you want a combo, go for 12", 15", or 2x10" speakers and 150+ watts. More speaker area = more volume. Make sure you don't cut the midrange frequencies when EQing - it might sound good at home, but no one will hear you in a band when you haven't got those mids in the mix.

KCooganbass 03-08-2013 05:44 AM

Swapped the E and B, the E sounded louder than the B, I'll get a new set of strings soon and hopefully find a solution

KCooganbass 03-08-2013 06:05 AM

What about hybrid amps?

funnyfingers 03-08-2013 06:31 AM

Try another 5 string bass.

Kingbreaker 03-08-2013 07:56 AM

Also,

To check if it isn't the speaker, play into a pair of decent headphones.

Grateful 03-08-2013 08:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by inmate13 (Post 13996600)
You play Rumble 15 or 150? If it's 15 you should look for a new amp. B string requiers some additional power to reproduce that freq.

Quote:

Originally Posted by KCooganbass (Post 13996612)
Do you think a rumble 75 would do?

If indeed you are using a 15W amp with an 8" speaker, upgrading your amp is something you will want to put high on your list of things to do. I have had poor results trying to get useable volume on all 5 strings using 1x10's or lower. IME, I prefer at least a 12" speaker to hear a decent B. 2x10 or a single 15 will also work, IMHO.

For around the price of the Rumble 75, there are some options that can give you many more watts, which is a good thing for a 5. If you look used, there are all kinds of things available.

Good Luck!

KCooganbass 03-08-2013 08:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grateful (Post 13997288)
If indeed you are using a 15W amp with an 8" speaker, upgrading your amp is something you will want to put high on your list of things to do. I have had poor results trying to get useable volume on all 5 strings using 1x10's or lower. IME, I prefer at least a 12" speaker to hear a decent B. 2x10 or a single 15 will also work, IMHO.

For around the price of the Rumble 75, there are some options that can give you many more watts, which is a good thing for a 5. If you look used, there are all kinds of things available.

Good Luck!

What would you recommend?

Grateful 03-08-2013 08:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KCooganbass (Post 13997308)
What would you recommend?

What price range? Same as a new Rumble 75?

Ric5 03-08-2013 08:13 AM

quiet b string??

- it could be the strings
- it could be the setup
- it could be the bridge
- it could be the pickups

KCooganbass 03-08-2013 08:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grateful (Post 13997317)
What price range? Same as a new Rumble 75?

In or around that yeah

funnyfingers 03-08-2013 08:31 AM

I wonder if the B note is actually kicking off the compression circuit. Does hitting a high note and the B note cause the whole volume to go down?

KCooganbass 03-08-2013 08:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by funnyfingers (Post 13997459)
I wonder if the B note is actually kicking off the compression circuit. Does hitting a high note and the B note cause the whole volume to go down?

So I plucked the B and High E, volume went down but not too much, if that means anything, and I hear crackling if I touch any strings while they're vibrating if that's significant?

funnyfingers 03-08-2013 08:40 AM

So my guess is that the B is causing too much of a power hit and the circuit is lowering the volume and still maybe not even letting the B be heard. I see it is a sealed enclosure. What was the volume at with that test? What if you put it to half of that?

KCooganbass 03-08-2013 08:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by funnyfingers (Post 13997533)
So my guess is that the B is causing too much of a power hit and the circuit is lowering the volume and still maybe not even letting the B be heard. I see it is a sealed enclosure. What was the volume at with that test? What if you put it to half of that?

Volume was 10
Brought it down to 5
Same effect


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